40-Year Sentence for Smuggler of Iranian Missile Parts

Sun Oct 19 2025 03:43:24 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani smuggler, receives a 40-year prison sentence in the U.S. for transporting ballistic missile parts intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen, bringing attention to ongoing concerns regarding weapon proliferation and regional instability.

In a significant case reflecting ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison following his conviction for smuggling sophisticated ballistic missile parts from Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. His capture during a U.S. military operation resulted in the tragic drowning of two Navy Seals, showcasing the dangerous nature of arms smuggling activities in the region.

A weapons smuggler who used a fishing boat to ship ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen has been sentenced to 40 years in a US prison.

Pakistani national Muhammad Pahlawan was detained during a US military operation in the Arabian Sea in January 2024 - during which two US Navy Seals drowned.

Pahlawan's crew testified they had been duped into taking part, having believed they were working as fishermen.

The Houthis had launched sustained missile and drone attacks on Israel at the time, and targeted international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they were acting in support of Gazans. Iran has consistently denied arming the Houthis.

The crew's detailed testimonies to a court in the US state of Virginia provide a rare look inside a smuggling operation that helped power the attacks.

The components found on Pahlawan's boat were some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups, US federal prosecutors said after his trial.

The 49-year-old was sentenced on Thursday, having been previously convicted on five counts - including terrorism offences and transporting weapons of mass destruction.

Court documents show the sentences for two of the five counts will run concurrently for 240 months, or 20 years. The other three counts, another 20 years, will run consecutive to that - making a total of 480 months, or 40 years.

'Walking dead person'

The eight crew members who testified in court said they had no idea what was inside the large packages on board the boat, named the Yunus.

One crew member said that when he questioned Pahlawan about it, he was told to mind his own business.

Pahlawan, however, knew just how dangerous the cargo was.

He referred to himself as a walking dead person in text message exchanges with his wife, sent in the days before the January 2024 voyage which would get him arrested.

Just pray that [we] come back safely, said the message, used as evidence in court.

His final words to her before sailing were: Keep me in your prayers. May God take me there safely and bring me back safely, alright. Pray.

For this journey, Pahlawan was paid 1,400 million rials (£25,200; $33,274) - a substantial fee prosecutors at his trial described as danger money.

The trip was part of a larger operation funded and coordinated by two Iranian brothers, Yunus and Shahab Mir'kazei, said the then-US Department of Defense in a statement in June.

Pahlawan made two successful smuggling voyages before he was caught - one in October 2023, and a second two months later.

The US Navy would later discover, contained Iranian-made ballistic missile parts, anti-ship cruise missile components and a warhead.

William Freer, from the UK think tank Council on Geostrategy, noted that although many Houthi attacks have utilized smaller weapons, the components on Pahlawan's ship represent a more serious level of threat.

This operation highlights the critical global implications of weapon trafficking and its effects on regional security, especially concerning the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the broader geopolitical dynamics involving Iran.